Fame at last! Breatheasy Mosaic in the Alloa Advertiser!

"Mosaic Illustrates Wee County's Heritage"

A lovely write up from the Alloa Advertiser about the mosaic I made together with Breatheasy Clacks. A  link to the original article is here

A BEAUTIFUL community mosaic which depicts many landmarks from throughout the Wee County was recently unveiled at the Speirs Centre in Alloa.
Members, friends and volunteers of Breathe Easy Clackmannanshire and guests which included Lady Provost Mrs Tina Murphy and Irene Johnstone, head of The British Lung Foundation Scotland & Northern Ireland, gathered on the Mezzanine level of centre on Tuesday, September 29, to watch Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire Johnny Stewart unveil the mosaic which was a gift from the group to the people of the Wee County.

Glasgow Artist Josie Vallely has given art and drawing classes to the group over the last two years. And she mentioned that funding could be available from The Voluntary Action Fund for an art project which would benefit the group and the community.

Breathe Easy applied for the grant and were overjoyed to receive the funding. And after much deliberation a mosaic was chosen. Josie visited regularly and asked what they would like to see portrayed. She worked on the suggestions and started the project which was put together during months of hard work. On the day before the unveiling, the mosaic, which was made in three parts, was brought through to The Speirs Centre for the members to complete.

The members all placed a red tile into the red balloon on the mosaic. The tiles were placed in remembrance of members, friends and volunteers sadly no longer with us. The red balloon is the logo of The Breathe Easy Groups and The British Lung Foundation. The mosaic which has the heading ‘Look Aboot Ye’ shows the Ochil Hills, Castle Campbell, Alloa Town Hall, Alloa Tower, Gean House and the Speirs Centre. The windings of the River Forth and The Clackmannanshire Bridge are also featured, as is Andy Scott’s beautiful sculpture ‘River Spirit’, which is situated on the Collylands roundabout.

Other things depicted on the mosaic include a dragon’s head which is prominent in the Spiers Centre. A wading bird from The Black Devon Wetlands, which is home to all kinds of birds, has pride of place along with a fish which depicts the fish found in Gartmorn Dam. Bottles on the mosaic symbolise Alloa Glass Works, an important industry for the area, while Wasps are shown on the right of the artwork - Wasps being the logo of Alloa Athletic FC. A head of grain portrays the brewing and distilling industries. A ship and anchor tell the story of how Alloa docks used to be a busy port and the harbour which was a major exporter of goods to the continent in the 18th century. A needle and yarn depict the rich textile industry with many wool and weaving mills in the county. And the golf courses of the county are depicted with a flag on a green and lastly a dog which depicts the Scottish SPCA at Fishcross.

The bottom panel on the mosaic has the words ‘From Breathe Easy Clackmannanshire to all of the Wee County’.